To Break the Covenant
by Tio-Chan
Summary: Wonderland had changed..perhaps for the better. As everything is explained to Alice she comes upon the rather eccentric new Queen. Please R
1. Prolouge: Return to wonderland

Disclaimer: I do not own Alice, Lewis Carol and American McGee do so don't sue me..

_' Catch me, as I fall,_

_Say your here and it's all over now' --**Evanescence, Whisper**_

The wind howled against her ivory skin, rusty locks flew in the icy cold, and she said nothing, the snow blowing around her emaciated form A pair of black pants and a matching shirt which blew against her in the snowy breeze, a blue corset decorated with elaborate gold embrodary a pair of knee high boots the straps looking rather elaborate. She took a few steps foreward and stretched her arms foreward, transparent, revealing the veins in her arms. She looked around for a moment and frowned. A pale looking creature, it's furry skin a white color with several tattoo's on it and ear ring in it's ears a permanant grin on it's face. The woman shook her head her pale green eye's turning to the cat who said nothing but sat instead contently at her feet.

"It seems a terrible idea to bother her again." said the woman softly crossing and uncrossing her arms.

"Terrible?" The cat looked to her, it's grin never faltering, "Terrible indeed, that a single member of the council is left to keep order over wonderland." There was a mocking sound. "While the rest..."

"Remain indecive and violent correct?" The woman spoke smoothly as she surveyed the landscape.

"There are only four of us...Three now. Getting rid of the largest threat to our world...but also it was to help Alice." The cat chuckled.

"Help? Ironic...That this place exists in her mind and even then...when everything is back as normal.." The cat snickered "Normal." The woman frowned and glared towards the cat.

"Cheshire you know very well what I mean." She answered coldly.

"But of course your majesty." The cat answered smoothly to the woman and she continued. "Even when things are as normal as possible for wonderland...that it is still in peril. Like it or not Cheshire...We may have to call on Alice again." She muttered before turning and walking away.

Cheshire sighed to himself. She was right. Even if the red queen and her violent outbursts and tyrany were gone, there were still the other two member of the council to cause problems. The other suits in the card deck as Alice might have refered to them as. There were for grand elders in wonderland, none of which had ever been brave enough...except for the black queen... The queen of Spades. Even then the woman worked through secrets. Calling up Alice had been her idea, calling alice into a place which rested deep within her psyche. Now if things got worse...then she might request that the girl be called again. It had been almost two years.

* * *

Alice looked about quietly, the small house in which she was living remained dimly lit as she sat in her library reading by candle light she had learned to love the books that no longer held pictures, simply because, living in fantasy worlds would on lead to getting hurt again, or perhaps simply to pretend that wonderland wasn't real. Sometimes she swore that she saw the Cheshire cat, it's painfully thin form crouched carefully watching her. Suddenly something was knocked off it's shelf and a thin figure became visible in the darkness as it neared her chair. "Cat?" She asked and the creature nodded sitting at her feet. 

"Indeed. Lovely to see you again Alice...I'm afraid that we need you in wonderland again." The creature said simply before everything went blank for the young woman.

The woman looked about, seeing the forested world about her, and forwned at the cat.

"So exactly what are we doing here now? " She crossed her arms. "I believe an explaination is in order."

The cat chuckled. "You still have that attitude about you don't you girl." He spoke his question being more of a statement.

"Perhaps." She chuckled looking at her dress. It hadn't changed at all. Nothing had since her last visit. Things still seemed as dreary as ever.

"So why am I here now? I certainly hope it isn't the queen if so then, how?"

The cat looked to her mockingly.

"You don't know about the council do you Alice?"

"Council? I should think not, this the first I've heard of any council."

"Then I'll tell you." He from tree stump to tree stump making a seat for the girl.

"Settle down: It's time for a history lesson."

Alice sat looking at the cat intently it's grin never leaving it's face.

"The council consists of the most powerful monarchs in wonderland. But instead of all four kings, and all four kings rulling, only two kings and two queens rule. The most powerful creatures in wonderland."

Alice interupted the cat. "And the Queen of Hearts was one of them?"

The creature nodded. "It seems that, at the loss of one of their own, the most manipulative of all of them they're in turmoil. All of them except one. The one that requested you be brought here again. This world is on the brink of a three sided war, if that happens...then you may have to be the one to 'Negotiate' with the rest."

The cat rose and waited for Alice to do the same.

"Negotiate as in..." She pondered briefly "With my blade?" She seemed almost happy at the prospect.

"Indeed. But for now I'd best take you to the queen."

"Queen?"

"Her Royal Majesty the Queen of Spades." The cat bowed at the saying of the womans name.

"So I take it she is one who can be trusted?" Alice asked quizically, finding herself dissappointed at the idea of no bloodshed. The cat nodded and walked off. Alice sighed, and followed.


	2. The Queen of Spades

Disclaimer: I do not own American McGee's Alice so don't sue me.

Wonderland woods hadn't changed...only it seemed slightly more plesant than on her previous visit. Still fearing the tyrany of the red queen the few creatures that existed in the forested area scattered at the approach of someone who was not of their own kind. Failing to recognize her as thier savior. She closed her eyes, she was being left out of the loop on this one and it was managing to make her rather angry that she was being done in such a matter. She didn't expect praise..but she also didn't expect to be feared. "So why am I here Cat?" She asked stopping on the trail, kicking at the few rocks on the path with her boots and frowning in agitation at the amount of dust they managed to kick up from doing so. She didn't look back to where the cat had previously been following as she did so but frowned...obviously it wasn't a summons for a casual visit or the creatures of wonderland would not have been running in such a manner.

"Because I summoned you." Called a voice that obviously did not belong to the cat, it was a female voice one with a rich accent strict, yet incredibly gentle sounding as well.

"That's not a very logical reason now is it?" She added in retort, at this there was a sharp chuckle and she grimaced.

"Obviously you forget where you are at the moment." The voice added the gentle voice was now laced with a amusement.

"Nothing is Logical here." They both stated this at the same time, one in a tone of mock amusement the other as simply revelation. Had it really been that long since her previous departure from this realm that she had almost forgotten that the concept of Logic was almost none existant here? That concept of anything reasonable was soon enough abandoned for something completely daft. She turned to look at the speaker finally, after longing to know whom this woman was and just where she had came from. Certainly there were others who resembled humans in appearance here, but she was almost certain that they would not be standing in the middle of the forest. More so because it would be unwise to try to tackle a place full of wild creatures who were generally very hostile to their kind than anything else.

The owner of the voice was a woman with long red hair, reaching down to her shoulder blades and curling up on the ends as the rest was rather curly itself this wouldn't have stood out, if Alice had known her previously. She had green eyes, the same color as her own and at the moment they held a glimmer of amusement, but also held a rather secretive side if Alice was any good at reading into such things. She was thin, her emaciated state made even more noticable by the fact that the woman was wearing a corset which was tightened to the limit one could go without breaking the ribs, proving the fact that the woman had absolutely no fat to her body what so ever. Her thin legs were shown off by the fact that...in a rather rebelious manner the woman was wearing a pair of pants, black ones made out of a rather comfortable looking material and a pair of boots to which these pants were tucked into the boots which came to about her knees. A white top covered the area the corset didn't on her top a small necklace baring the symbol of one of the playing cards, a spade hung around her neck. It had taken a while for Alice to note but it seemed that womans corset, which was almost painful to look at much less to imagine wearing, was also embrodiered with the same symbol and traces of gold.

Perhaps the red queen had been just as cruel to the members of her court as she had been to her guards, other servants, and to the unfortunate citizens of wonderland who just happened to fall under her juristiction? It certainly seemed so judging by the womans thin state. "So I remember." She spoke as her gaze never left the woman until the Cheshire cat somehow appeared beside her, it's grin still never leaving it's face though she hadn't expected such a thing anyway.   
"Alice," It spoke bowing curtly to the woman in front of them and Alice gave the cat an all to curious glance as the woman stood up, she had previously been sitting down on one of the nearby mushrooms, to which time Alice noticed a rather ornate weapon resting at her side, it was a long sword, sheathed, a chain hung down from the hilt bearing the same emblem as both her necklace and her croset and a long string of beads wound it's way around the sheath which in turn was black. "I give you, Her royal Majesty, The Queen of Spades." Finished the cat making a bowing gesture to which Alice did not follow.

Had her eyes been able to light fires with the heat of her glare Alice would have surely burned down Wonderland's forest without even knowing it. "Your a Queen?" She asked crossing her arms and planting her feet a bit more firmly into the ground, as the cat made an almost frustrated motion with his paw to her. The woman nodded at this red hair flowing back slightly "The Queen of Spades." She restated "Or some know me as the black queen." She added in for the sake of being informative Alice was sure.

"I don't know you at all to be honest." Replied Alice drily as she took a few steps towards the woman, the dead leaves from the drees crunching rather loudly and unplesantly under her feet.

"I supose not." Replied the woman her voice still the same tone as it had been during her first statement "I'm afraid I'm not a very well known character...unlike the red queen I do not have much of a reputation." She replied with a faint smile as she turned on her heel to walk back towards her previous sitting place.

"I haven't had very good relationships with queens you know." Stated Alice coldly

"All the more reason for you to distrust me I supose." Replied the woman placing her foot on a nearby tree which seemed to be of a rather ungodly heigth. Alice nodded in agreement her features displaying her rather unplesant mood and seeming rather childish in doing so.

"Your Majesty if I may." The Cheshire cat chimed in as the woman placed her other foot on the tree to stand parallel to the ground placing her hands on her hips in a rather satisfied manner as she walked up the tree a few steps and then turned.

"You may Cat." She replied seeming almost playful as she walked along the tree as though she had done this sort of thing everyday, Alice simply stared on in amazement at the woman as the cat bowed to the woman once again before turning to alice.

"We have called you here for a reason Alice." He stated and Alice looked down at him thankful that unlike this eccentric woman the cat was not so eager to leave her out of the loop for very long.

"Please, do tell." Alice said promptly shifting her weight from one foot to another.

The cat nodded "Alice, wonderland is in danger again."

"It seems quite a fragile place does it not?" Questioned the Queen as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet an amused and almost childlike expression on the womans deathly pale face as she proceeded to walk stiffly a bit farther up the tree.

"But this time," The cat stated again adding to his explaination "There is a distinct possability of all out war...not just the queens tyrany."

"Though we don't have to worry about that anymore." Added the Queen once again, now hanging upside down from a branch just above Alices head and playing with her hair in amusement as she did so. "Much thanks to you on that part Miss Liddel." She added to which Alice frowned.

"Wonderland is divided into four sections now...ruled by a covenant of four. She is one of those." He gestured up to the woman who in turn bowed politely though it seemed rather difficult for one to be able to do such a thing while hanging upside down, especially one with such a great deal of hair to deal with as it attempted to fall into her face and could not do such a thing so instead only wound up getting tangled amoung itself to which the Queen frowned at in discontent.

"Four rulers, three of whom cannot keep from fighting for even five minutes when they come in contact." The woman added as she flipped herself right side up by leaping to the ground, for it was quite unplesant to try to untangle her hair when she could not properly reach it. 

"And these rulers are?"

"You shall find out more of that later." Replied the cat with a frown as he surveyed the area. "We must first reach our own territory. Majest isn't even suposed to be here." He pointed out looking towards the woman who rocked back and forth in amusement.

"I only wanted to make a unique introduction." Replied the woman almost too innocently.

"Well you've certainly made it so..." Alice pointed out with a frown still not sounding convinced on wether the woman could even be trusted. "It's quite obvious that you are a citizen of the world at least." She added to which the woman seemed to beam with pride.

"Well then I'll be going on ahead, I trust you two have a bit of catching up to do." Said the Queen in amusement as she bowed in the same manner as previous attempts and vanished from Alices sight in much a way she was accustomed to seeing form the Cheshire cat instead.

"The queen certaintly is intresting..."Alice trailed off as they walked along the path the cat following with the same bemused grin on it's face. It was only then that she noticed the cat did not seem as malnourished as it previously had.

"Indeed." Replied the cat simply "But she is one to be trusted, for even when you were here the first time she had been working in the shadows and she knows quite a thing or two about wonderland that even I could not tell you beforehand." He said causing Alice to stop in her tracks and frown.

"So she is to be trusted then?"

"Yes."

"But what of these others?" The cat stopped and frowned at this "Not all are to be trusted...but not all to untrusted either is simply all I can say at the moment." Stated looking around as though he suspected something was listening to them. "We must get to the queens palace before we discuss anything of the sort." He added.

"Where does the queen live?" The cat paused and surveyed his surroundings. "A good ways away from here I'm quite afraid, in a castle beyond the looking glass." He added.

"A castle beyond the looking glass?" Alice asked sounding intrigued

"Yes, a rather beautiful place, thought a bit of a maze to find your way around in." He added to this.

"It must be quite beautiful...but tell me cat...How did this covenant..." She paused thoughtfully "Come to be?" She asked finding it to be the best way to phrase the question.

"When the red queen was destroyed wonderland was in shambles." The cat began his epic tale of wonderlands history for the past three years or so with this "We had no one to help us out, then those four appeared, we agreed that, we needed a ruler. And so, the people of wonderland decided that allowing them rule would be for the best. Now there are four rules governing four territories and everything is at peace." He frowned pausing a few moments, wether for dramatic effect or because he was thinking Alice was not sure but she waiting for him to break the unplesant silence as they continued on their way to the Queens castle.

"at least for now." He stated ominously.


End file.
